Remarks

Thank you so much and thank you Secretary Mattis,

Welcome General Votel, and welcome back Ambassador McGurk, it’s great to see you all here, Ministers and Colleagues.

It’s a pleasure to see you all at NATO headquarters.

Let me commend the nations gathered here as part of the Global Coalition. Since September 2014, you have made tremendous strides toward the eventual defeat of ISIL – retaking the battlefield, countering propaganda, and breaking affiliate networks. Each contributing in your own ways.

Today, ISIL and terrorism remain among the most pressing challenges we face. While NATO itself is not a formal member of the Coalition against ISIL. Every NATO Ally is contributing to Coalition efforts, drawing on decades of experience working together on Allied operations and missions. NATO has also, for many years, been in the fight against terrorism. We are in Afghanistan – our biggest military operation ever – to prevent its return to a safe haven for international terrorism. We are deploying our AWACS aircraft in support of Coalition operations and training Iraqi security forces. More broadly, we are sharing intelligence to improve understanding of the threat. Working closely with partners in the Middle East and North Africa to help them secure their borders and territory. Establishing a new regional centre in Kuwait to coordinate our work in the Gulf. But we have the potential to do more. Training local forces is one of the best weapons we have in the fight against terrorism and building stability. That’s a lesson NATO has learned from our experiences in the Western Balkans and in Afghanistan. NATO has proven capabilities and structures to make a real difference as a force multiplier over the long-term. The defeat of ISIL is a global, generational challenge that requires a global, generational response. This Coalition has an unwavering commitment to see this fight to its conclusion – this is reinforced through the contributions by each of your nations, so I am confident that those under threat from ISIL will again live in peace.    

So thank you once again and then I hand over the floor over to the meeting chairman, Secretary Mattis, please.